“On my dad’s life.”
“I hope so, because he’ll be the first person I come after if you double cross me. The only way we can transport the weapons is by hiding them on the trucks. If we can get you the weapons, do you have a means to hide them and get them to the people who can use them?”
Tanya nodded.
“How are you going to get to the trucks?”
“My dad owns a storage unit here in town, so a lot of the supplies will be brought there.”
“That’s convenient.”
Tanya smiled. “I know. It’s strange how fate crosses the paths of those who need each other the most.”
“There will be another truck in a couple weeks with instructions under the passenger seat.”
“I’ll be waiting for it.”
I glanced over my shoulder out the front window. I proceeded to the bathroom. On my way out, I stopped once more at the counter.
“There will be no way for us to contact each other, and for safety’s sake, we probably shouldn’t. I know you’re taking a great risk, especially with your family, but I appreciate your help in this matter.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and left the coffee shop.
CHAPTER 17
I took the first driving shift and fretted the entire time I was behind the wheel. Had I made the right decision? Would I be able to trust Tanya? I hadn’t talked to her for two years, then in the months I was gone, she completely changed her outlook on life. It wasn’t unheard of, just odd, especially with her. I was pretty sure she wasn’t a spy, and there was no way Liet or The Families knew what we were up to. I just found out. Even if they did, Pearl would be the better mole. I trusted her, and she followed The Families’ every word. They couldn’t know. I didn’t know what Tanya hoped to gain from the situation. She claimed she wanted a better world, but who didn’t? Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other options. I had to get the weapons to Florida.
It was unnerving for me to hear that The Families had taken on a dictator role, though I wasn’t really surprised. Even in my short time there I was able to see they were power hungry. Although crises can bring out the best in people, it usually brings out those who are looking to gain something. The Families had the money and the ability to protect the citizens and make sure they lived in comfort, but once that was gone, they had to keep the people in line with fear. Money didn’t mean anything anymore. Food, clothing, and weapons were what made an individual rich. If they could control the commodities, they could control the masses.
Eventually, though, the population would grow and supplies would run low. I saw it firsthand in North Platte, and I could only imagine Florida would experience it on a grander scale. Although it was obvious they had tradespeople and professionals, without raw material, they wouldn’t be able to produce their wares. Once the supplies dwindled, blind faith in the leadership would no longer be enough. Groups would form that would question The Families’ authority—maybe they already were, I didn’t know. What I did know was that The Families would quash any uprisings. I was sure most of the rebellious people were sent away to labor on the wall, even Tanya implied that, but a few wouldn’t be able to disappear so easily. That would explain why crews were being sent into the neighboring states. Eventually, The Families would have to allow a few people out to colonize.
In a sense, Liet had it a lot easier. He at least had the zombies to back him up. If someone irritated him enough, he could exile them. If they really pissed him off, he could say they got bit and shoot them in the head. Either way, it was a win, win for him. Yet he and his troops were outnumbered by workers by five to one. If the people decided to revolt, there wasn’t much he could do about it, which was why he kept them overworked and half-starved. They didn’t have the energy to fight. If it came down to it, though, I bet it wouldn’t take much to get the workers and some of the guards to riot. There seemed to be some dissention in his ranks. Pam had stopped following his orders exactly, and he’d condemned another to death for giving out more food than was rationed. I hadn’t been there a lot in the past weeks, but I was sure it was only going to get worse.
I also wondered if The Families were going to hold true to their promise of sending professionals. Even though Liet never really claimed that was what he wanted, I was sure that was his intention. I was going to have to lie and tell Liet they needed supply trucks sent down every month so I could get weapons into the state, and he wasn’t going to be happy, but he’d do it. The Families wouldn’t question it. They’d think Liet was being friendly. This would ensure that I’d be able to keep going to the West and keep seeing Quinn.
I thought about how Liet had reacted right before I left for Florida—how he’d wondered if I was dating. Why did I have to explain myself to him? Why would he care in the first place? I was entitled if I wanted to. When Pam had asked me the same thing, it got me wondering. Did it look as if I was dating Quinn? From his words and actions, we were friends and probably always would be, but it apparently had people talking.
Quinn didn’t think of me in that way, anyway. He’d never made a move on me, or even hinted that he might be interested. He even suggested I date Kyle. I wished he was interested in me. He was attractive, and he was my age. Given the circumstances, I could do worse. A lot worse. As Pam said, I deserved to be happy, and I was pretty sure he could do it.
Pam stirred next to me. She extended her arms out in front and arched her back. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A couple hours.”
“Geez, you’d think with all the coffee I had this morning I wouldn’t be so tired. You ready for me to take over?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. I’m okay.”
Pam sat up. “You still thinking about Pearl?”
I shrugged my right shoulder. “Kind of.”
“At least she’s happy.”
“I guess. I don’t understand why she’s so complacent.”
“That’s how the majority of people live their lives. They don’t want to make the world a better place, they want to exist in it, and if someone tells them how to do that, then they’re happy. Not everyone has a sense of adventure like you do.”
“Pfft, yeah, look where that got me.”
“It could be worse. You could still be in Florida.” Pam smiled. “North Platte might not be the best place to live, but at least we’re far away from The Families.” She shivered. “God, could you imagine? I doubt they can go to the bathroom without someone knowing about it.”
I couldn’t believe those words came out of her mouth. Did she live in the same North Platte I did?
“Liet’s not much better. In fact, he’s a lot worse.”
“Only if you’re a worker. And they don’t have it that bad. They have food and shelter.”
I stared at the road for a few minutes. What in the hell was Pam talking about? I decided I probably didn’t want to know. My guess was she was justifying things in her own mind, trying to convince herself she wasn’t as bad as The Families. If we got into a debate about it, I might let the rebellion slip, so I played it safe and kept my mouth shut.
We rode in silence for a few more hours, then Pam took over driving responsibilities. We stopped again in St. Louis before heading out early in the morning. After we made it to North Platte, Liet waited at the storage yard. My heart jumped into my throat, and I hesitated getting out of the truck. I thought for sure he was going to punish me for hitting him before I’d left. Maybe smack me as he’d wanted to in my room. When he approached, I flinched and readied myself for a fight.
“It’s about time you got back. Complete hell has broken loose since you left.”
I stared at him in confusion. Was he waiting to get to the punishment part? Was he trying to make me sweat?
“We came back as soon as we could,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“A fire destroyed half the storage yard. Didn’t you notice it when you pulled in?”
I shook my head. “The sky is always fill
ed with smoke. Adding more to it really isn’t that noticeable.”
“I need you ready to go as soon as possible to replenish the supplies.”
“Can I have a day?” I was tired. It’d been a long couple days. I wanted to spend one night in my own bed and listen to my CDs.
“Sure. It’ll probably take that long for Quinn to get here anyway.”
“Thank you.”
I still waited for him to blow up at any minute. It was possible he’d cooled off in the few days we’d been gone, but it was always hard to tell with Liet.
I walked toward the courthouse, my mind already lying on my pillow and my body snuggled under the covers. Liet fell into step with me.
“I assume your trip went well?”
My vision of heaven cracked, and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “It was fine. They said some new recruits will be coming in the next couple weeks.”
“They better. We’re running real low on quality workers.”
I stared at him, hoping he’d burst into flames. “Maybe it’s not the quality of worker, maybe it’s the quality of leadership.”
I figured by that point in time if he hadn’t gotten angry, he probably wasn’t going to. I was exhausted, and everything he said and every breath he took grated on my nerves. I didn’t care how angry I made him anymore, because I had a way out.
Liet narrowed his eyes to slits. “If you were in my shoes, what would you do differently?”
“Maybe try to show a little compassion.”
“Compassion?” Liet spit the word out like venom. “Do you think the pyramids were built with compassion? Or the Great Wall of China? Compassion gets you nowhere.”
“Yeah, well, slave driving doesn’t seem to be getting you anywhere either.”
“There is no happy medium, Krista. It’s either the hard way or the highway.”
I rolled my eyes and hurried to the apartment. I wanted to stay and argue, maybe claw his eyes out, but that would get me nowhere. I would have my chance soon enough.
I took a hot shower. The water felt good as it splashed on my back. Once I finished, I dressed in sweats and then climbed into bed. The soft pillow enveloped my head, and I instantly fell asleep. I dreamed that I was back at Quinn’s ranch. The sun was bright and warmed the day to the perfect temperature. We rode the horses through the field. The scent of pine trees tickled my nostrils. I glanced at Quinn. He smiled. I wanted to reach out and hold his hand. Suddenly, the cows stampeded. I turned my gaze to them and tightened my grip on the reins. We couldn’t do anything, so we moved out of the way and watched as the animals streamed by. After the cows entered the canyon and the dust settled, we noticed a group of zombies following them. I tried to get my horse to move, but its hooves had sunk down into the dirt. I turned to Quinn. His mouth was open in a silent scream, and half-rotted hands pulled him off his horse. He reached for me, and I tried to grab him, but a zombie jumped in between us and bit my arm. I pulled it back in surprise. My heart stopped for a brief second when I noticed Dad standing before me. Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me to the ground. Mom chewed my hair, and Dad moved forward to bite my neck.
I jerked awake. My chest heaved. It was painful to catch my breath. My heart pounded against my ribcage. I went to the bathroom and splashed water onto my face. Taking deep breaths, I slowed my breathing to normal, and my heart stopped pounding. On my way back to bed, someone sat in the chair on the opposite side of the room. My heart leapt into my throat. My breath caught. I clicked on my lamp. It was Liet. My fear lessened, but only slightly.
“What are you doing in here?”
How long had he been in there?
He steepled his fingers and took a deep breath. “I was born and raised in Oregon and lived there until I was fifteen.”
I took a seat on the edge of the bed. “I know. We talked about this in the truck on the way up here. Remember?”
“After my fifteenth birthday, my mom divorced my dad. She claimed it was because he drank too much, but the real problem was her. She didn’t like to stay faithful. My dad was a trucker, so he was gone a lot. My mom claimed to get lonely, so she found other men to keep her company.
“The court asked me who I wanted to live with, and I told them my father, but because of his profession, they wouldn’t allow it. I had to stay with my mom. We moved to Louisiana right after the family reunion. My dad told me he’d come visit me all the time, take me on his trips when he could. Since the school year was starting, he said he’d see me at Christmas. He never showed up. When I called, he told me things were too crazy at the moment, so we’d have to wait until things settled down. He told me that for two years. By the time I was eighteen, he quit promising to come get me.
“My mom wasn’t around much, either. Since she was a single mom, she worked all day and spent her nights in the local bars, picking up men. She found some real winners. I won’t bore you with the details. The nights she came home with her boyfriends, I’d make myself scarce. As you can imagine, I got into a lot of trouble roaming the streets.
“My mother wanted nothing to do with me when they sent me to juvie and then to prison. My parents left me, Krista. They abandoned me. All I ever wanted was a family. Someone to love and care for. I have that now, and I’m not going to let anything take it away.” Liet stood and crossed the room to me, wrapping me in a hug. “I let you go into the West because you’ll go crazy if you stay here. You’re just like me. You need to roam. I don’t like it when you leave, though, and a part of me dies every time you drive through the gates. He can’t take care of you like I can, and he won’t. I’ll continue to let you collect supplies as long as you promise to keep your relationship professional, but don’t mistake my compassion for weakness.” He released me and left.
Between the dream and waking to find Liet in my room, I couldn’t go back to sleep. I turned off the light, threw on some clothes, and headed to the guard tower.
The searchlights scanned the field in front of me, and I took out a dozen zombies before the sun rose. Their moans penetrated the cool air and sent a shiver down my spine. Images of my dream were still fresh in my mind, and I wondered if my parents were out there roaming the earth. Would I ever run into them? I was sure if I did, I’d have no problems putting a bullet between their eyes. Of course I might let them wander in their own personal hell. After all, they’d brought it on themselves. I needed them more than ever, and they went and got themselves killed.
I buried my face in my hands. I hated that I was so mad at my parents, but I hated it even more that they weren’t there. I shouldn’t blame them for what had happened, but it was nobody’s fault but their own. It certainly wasn’t my fault. I told them not to go. I told them to stay. They didn’t listen. I wiped my hands down my face and stared at the horizon. More moans echoed through the morning air. A few silhouettes appeared, and I grabbed my rifle. I focused down the sight. The half-rotted flesh of a zombie filled the optics, and I squeezed the trigger.
The creature fell over backward and another walked right over it. I chambered another round.
“Stupid morons,” I whispered under my breath before taking another shot.
The sun popped over the horizon, and another soldier stepped into the tower. After collecting my weapons, I went to the courthouse. A Jeep Wrangler was parked on the street as I headed to Liet’s office. Quinn was there with Bill and Kyle, and they smiled as I entered the room. I smiled back and had to refrain from running up to them and giving them a hug. They were the most welcome sight in North Platte. I stood in front of Liet’s desk and placed my hands on my hips.
“Two trucks, as usual,” he said without looking up from his paperwork. “And we need more building supplies. See what you can do.”
I turned to head out of the room with the guys when Liet stopped me. He stepped from behind his desk and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“Sorry I scared you last night,” he whispered so only I heard. “I really don’t know what I’d
do without you.”
I tried to pull out of his grasp, but he pulled me in tighter and nuzzled my neck.
“Things are going to be different from now on. I promise.” He planted a kiss on my cheek, and I was finally able to squirm out of his grasp.
I wiped my face as I headed to the truck. Every fiber of my being was grossed out. I’d rather have endured an entire day of inspection showers in the dead of winter than have to experience that again. I almost preferred that he’d have hit me. This killing me with kindness crap was killing me. I visibly shuddered when Liet followed me.
“Quinn, you’d better take good care of her. She’s all the family I have left.” He winked and then closed my door.
I turned to Quinn, hoping he could somehow take the ickiness away.
“What’s that all about?”
“He thinks you and I are dating. I think he’s trying to show he’s the dominant male.”
Quinn chuckled. He thought I was joking, so I stared at him.
The amused look dropped from Quinn’s face. “Seriously?”
I nodded.
Quinn glanced out the window at Liet, then turned on the engine. “Why would he think that?”
I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Quinn went to put the truck into gear when gunshots echoed through the streets. We looked at each other.
“That sounded close,” I said.
We glanced out the window and watched a soldier run up to Liet. His arms flailed as he explained what was going on. Liet’s face turned red as he yelled at the man and pointed to something behind him. My stomach knotted, and I pushed open the door.
“What’s going on?”
Liet stared at me for a moment, his jaw clenched. More shots were fired, followed by a loud boom. I fell to my knees and covered my ears.
“We’ve got zombies in the city.”
CHAPTER 18
I followed Liet and some other soldiers to the workers’ housing a few blocks away. A small fire raged in the front yard of one of the houses, and several soldiers fired into a crowd of five zombies—a male and female, both looked as if they were in their early thirties, and three kids ranging in age from six to fifteen. I was sure they’d just turned—their skin hadn’t had the chance to decompose. The only indication they were undead was their pale skin, sunken eyes, and unseeing stare. My best guess was that someone in the family had been infected, brought it back, and infected everyone else. I pulled my weapon. Liet surveyed the scene with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.
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